Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Life On The Edge

Last Friday Ald. Cappleman tweeted: "Had a woman with 446 prior arrests arrested again. She really needs a
structured environment to give us all, including herself, some peace."

Turns out he buried the lead.

As the Sun-Times reports today, the (in)famous Charmaine Boone/Shermain Miles -- she of the 446 arrests, including several for mugging senior citizens -- went after Alderman C with a knife on Friday after she saw him call in a 911 report regarding her public drinking and intoxication.

It’s dangerous being a hands-on Chicago alderman who walks the streets of his ward and is not afraid to get his hands dirty. Rookie Ald. James Cappleman (46th) is living proof. [...]

The alderman said he didn’t actually see the knife,
nor was he stabbed. But, Cappleman said he has no doubt his life was in
danger.

“She reached into her blouse and was chasing me ….Two witnesses told me, ‘She has a knife. You’d better run’ — and I
did,” the alderman said.

“The real story is not that she chased after me with a knife or no knife. … The real story is that we have someone in the community with 448 arrests who is terrorizing our community and we can’t stop it. This has gone on for years and years with her. … My goal is that we do something so that she stops falling through the cracks. … My goal is to get this woman help so she is off the streets. I’m tired of this. The community is tired of this.”

Cook County Court and state prison records indicate Boone, listed in state prison records as Shermain Miles, has been arrested more than 300 times since 1986 on drug possession, retail theft, criminal damage to property, prostitution and armed robbery charges.
She has been convicted and sent to prison at least 10 times, the records show. When she was arrested Friday, she was on parole for armed robbery after being released from prison in April 2011.

Cappleman said she boasts of being arrested 446 times.
Cappleman said he would like to see the woman get into a program that treats whatever underlying problems she has.
“My goal is to get this woman help, so she is off the streets,” Cappleman said. “I am tired of this. The community is tired of this. . . . We have someone … who is terrorizing our community, and we can’t stop it.”

23 comments:

James rawks!!! I haven't even heard second hand accounts of any other alderman doing what he does. Confronting bird lady, now this disaster of a person, cleaning up graffiti, still walks the streets it's loony tunes crazy awesome! I think he needs some seed funding to create politician training DVD's. Disk 1: How to be hands on Disk 2: How not to get bought out by lobbyist money Disk 3: How to vote with your conscious and best interest of the community as opposed to voting for special interests. Disk 4: How not to let your position inflate your fragile ego to astronomical proportions. I'm thinking the Cappleman DVD series could easily move 10,000 units in the first six months... Who's on board!!

This woman attacked my friends and I near the 7/11 at Buena and Broadway 2 years ago. She said she had a gun and kept reaching into the back of her shirt. She kept yelling racist/sexist and anti-gay remarks at us (for some reason) I assume it was because we didn’t give her any money that she demanded. The police came immediately and arrested her. She had no gun. I saw her within an hour back on the street a block from where she was arrested.. Hard to believe this is only one of the over 440+ arrests. Can’t she be charged with terrorism with so many arrests?!?

You would think we're living in Bizarro Uptown. An alderman who responds to constituents, tours the ward regularly, and actively shows concern not only for the people who live here, but also the ones who have fallen through the cracks!

You couldn't have a more night and day comparison to our former disgraced alderman (who doesn't deserve to be mentioned) and Alderman Cappleman. Thanks again, James!

Out of the fifteen or more wannabee 46th Ward alderman who ran or tried to run in the last election cycle I suspect Cappleman is likely the only one who would concern himself with these type of issues. Now I may be a bit wrong in that. Out of that many potential pols one or two others might have done something similar. Mike "LawDog" Carroll certainly would be comfortable doing something along these lines.

In any case these type of "housekeeping" issues are one of the main reasons I'm happy to have the Capplemaniac as alderman. It's chipping away at the public nuisance stuff and the problem buildings that will eventually have the most positive effect on da ward.

I just heard a rumor, actually I just made it up, that there is an emergency meeting of the Uptown Comintern over at JPUSA World HQ tonight to discuss ways to stop Cappleman from improving the ward.

It may actually be over at the Catholic Non Workers House too. Maybe simultaneous meetings broadcast live over the KUPS broadcasting system.

The Lawrence House is full of losers like this, I honestly think the so-called professionals responsible for people like this roosting in Uptown should be serving long, long terms in Club Fed.I will never volunteer for any organization that supposedly advocates for the poor again, they don't want to solve it, they just want to solidify it and increase it while they live wonderful lives outside of neighborhoods like Uptown and never suffer like we do for it.

I can't even BEGIN to express how happy it makes me to know the Alderman is out walking the streets, paying attention, seeing what residents see every day. Change is finally happening---it can't happen overnight, of curse, but incidents like this make it clear his head and heart are int he right place and perhaps we'll see major change very soon. Well done!

If only every uptown resident acted this way, we'd be crime free in no time. Next time you see something, say something. Don't walk with your head down. Stand tall, fight back.

Nice job Alderman.

@Michael, the social service safety net we have here is almost nonexistent. What this woman needs is mental health assistance. But our democratic (cough cough puke) mayor just cut HALF of the mental health clinics in the city.

I really like having Cappleman as Alderman. I can think of no one better suited by personality and experience to deal with the problems we have in the 46th Ward.

Cleaning up Uptown one building and one individual at a time. James Cappleman may be the best alderman in the city. I know the competition isn't particularly great, but it's better than the alternative. Hell, we had the alternative for 24 years.

It's gonna be a long slow slog, but it'll be worth it. I'm well into my third decade here and remember the neighborhood from the 70's and it's getting better every day.

If this has offended anyone I can only respond in the way of my 3 year old niece Lucretia McEvil.

Thanks for the shoutout. Yes, I concern myself with these kinds of issues - quite often in fact. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Mike "law dog" Carroll

PS:

My office got a call from James the other day, asking about more information on the homicide at Wilson Yard. He's on top of things Irish Pirate, let's keep getting more cops hired and this whole crime thing may turn itself around. .